“School shouldn’t be a competition ground” – Mom cries out over birthday gifts her children brought home
A Nigerian mom has gone viral after sharing her frustration over the extravagant birthday gifts her children received from classmates at school.
The video shared on X (formerly Twitter) by @chukserice sparked widespread reactions online.
Frustration Over Excessive Gifts
In the video, the woman expressed her concern that some parents are turning school birthday celebrations into a competition.
She described how her children returned home with a bicycle and an ecolag bag filled with goodies, gifts from a classmate celebrating their birthday.
The mother stressed that such displays create unnecessary pressure on other parents to match the gifts, which may not be affordable or reasonable for everyone.
Calls to Parents and School Authorities
She urged parents and private school authorities to address the issue, emphasizing that school should not be a ground for showing off wealth.
In her words: “Imagine your children came back from school with a bicycle, ecolag bag with a lot of things inside it. And you ask them where they got it from. They say their classmate is celebrating his or her birthday. They are parents and private school. We should do better. It is a school and not a competition ground.
“So, if you think because you shared a bicycle to my children on your kid’s birthday, and you expect me to buy the same thing… my darling, you are joking. The fact that they are in the same school doesn’t mean that we earn the same money.”
“Celebrate your children’s birthday with your family. You don’t have to go and buy all this stuff to their school, only in the name of sharing gifts to their mates. Please, their parents and private school authorities, please, can they see to this? This is becoming so annoying.”
See below;
“Dear parents in private schools, you need to do better. This is a school, not a competition ground. Just because you share bicycles and expensive gifts on your child’s birthday doesn’t mean I must do the same. We don’t earn the same.”
– Mother lament pic.twitter.com/BfWOTUq9dQ
— CHUKS 🍥 (@ChuksEricE) March 24, 2026